The two players exchanged holds until the tie-break, which Murray controlled.

According to an ATP report, the Spaniard sprayed a forehand wide and lifted a tight backhand long to hand Murray at 4/1 lead. The Brit blasted a backhand service return winner cross-court to clinch the opening set.

In the second set, Murray was in cruise control, blasting away the Spaniard 6-1.

The BBC reported that Djokovic is not due to play until the Paris Masters, an event he has won three years in a row and four times in total.

“But were Murray to win in both Vienna and Paris, then due to the vagaries of the way the rankings are calculated, he would become world number one if Djokovic failed to reach the final in the French capital,” the BBC said.